- Used Donald Trump and Richard III as character studies in preparing himself for the role of nemesis Lex Luthor in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (1993). During season two, he had to spend an average of three hours a day in the makeup chair to appear bald.
- Only three men ever screen tested for the role of Indiana Jones for Steven Spielberg, John, Tom Selleck and, of course, Indiana himself, Harrison Ford.
- While starring in London's West End production of Larry Kramer's "The Normal Heart," John suddenly passed out on stage after being stricken by food poisoning. Literally carried off the stage, he was revived and managed to return to finish the performance.
- In preparation for an explicit nude scene in the British film Hussy (1980), in which John was making his film debut, the newcomer and his co-star Helen Mirren shared a bottle of red wine.
- Wore a blond wig, false teeth and spent three months studying Bobby Kennedy's pronounced accent in preparation for his role in the miniseries Kennedy (1983) opposite Martin Sheen as brother Jack.
- For many years he played for the Hollywood All Stars, which was comprised of a group of actors who played charity baseball games around the country. He played three times at Yankee Stadium on teams that included Donald Trump, Michael Bolton, Al Pacino, Fisher Stevens, Al Franken, Paul Sorvino, Gregory Harrison and Meat Loaf.
- John Shea auditioned for the role of "Indiana Jones" in Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), alongside Karen Allen.
- Preparing for his role as a sociopath in the French thriller Honeymoon (1985) [Honeymoon] opposite Nathalie Baye, John willingly entered himself into psychoanalysis in character in NYC's John Jay College of Criminal Justice. He also learned the French script and shot his scenes both in French and English.
- During the first rehearsal of the TV movie Family Reunion (1981), the legendary Bette Davis asked John, who was playing her grandson, whether he smoked or not. A very nervous John lied and said he did. The star then responded, "Good, I can't stand men who don't smoke." The young actor proceeded to light up two cigarettes at once, a la Paul Henreid in the Davis film Now, Voyager (1942), and gave one to Ms. Davis.
- In order to prepare for his role as a concert violinist opposite Kelly McGillis in the Isreali film Once We Were Dreamers (1987), John spent six months rehearsing a musical piece in New York, London and Tel Aviv for a performance scene lasting one minute.
- He has Irish and German ancestry.
- Became the first Hollywood actor to star in a Tamil-language film after being cast in the Indian thriller Achchamundu! Achchamundu! (2009).
- While attending Bates College, he made his summer stock debut in Sean O'Casey's "Juno and the Paycock" at the Nantucket Theatre Workshop. He is presently the Artistic Director of that same theatre.
- Appeared opposite Bianca Jagger in the play "Daniella Frank," then later appeared with her ex-husband, Mick Jagger, in the movie Freejack (1992).
- Children: Jake (born 1987), Miranda (born 2000) and Caiden (born 2004).
- Made his Carnegie Hall debut playing the Soldier in Igor Stravinsky's "The Soldier's Tale" in 2002.
- He was nominated for a 1977 Joseph Jefferson Award for Actor in a Principal Role in a Play for "Long Day's Journey Into Night" at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago, Illinois.
- Director Costa-Gavras spotted John playing a rock and roll producer in the stage play "American Days" at the Manhattan Theatre Club and immediately cast the actor in his critically-acclaimed film Missing (1982) without an audition.
- At Bates College in Maine Shea ran track, played football captained the debating team, composed music, painted, and was co-editor of the literary magazine. He also acted, wrote plays, and directed them.
- Co-emceed the largest peace demonstration in American history, the June 12, 1982 anti-nuclear rally in Central Park, New York City. This later became the subject of the Robert Richter and Stanley Warnow documentary concert film In Our Hands (1983).
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content